Final reflections…what next?

It’s a strange feeling now it’s over. It’s a combination of relief and pride I think. It was such an amazing day, and crossing that line was completely overwhelming. After nine months of training and thinking of very little else for the final few weeks, it’s like a huge weight has been lifted.

I had all of these grand thoughts whilst I was racing about what I was going to do afterwards. I had visions of piling in to every fast food possible and sinking a load of beers. Didn’t really happen. I ended having a pizza and some wine back at the hotel after collecting all of my gear and having a bath. Not exactly rock and roll, but I don’t think my stomach could have coped with much else after my bananathon.

I slept well that night. It was probably the first proper lie in I’d had in months. It felt good to just feel lazy. I did have one last bit of training to do though. One last recovery ride to stop my legs from seizing up. It was only a 30 minute easy spin, but my legs and backside were not happy. I’m glad I did it though. I’m sure the stiffness and soreness in my legs over the next few days would have been far worse if I hadn’t. Stairs became my nemesis on Tuesday as it was.

I guess I’m still in the afterglow now four days on. It’s been nice telling everyone how it went and sharing my experience. It might even have inspired other people to do it or do something similar, who knows. I’d like to think so.

There have been two main questions since I’ve done it. The first one is whether I’m going to get the Ironman tattoo. I’ve thought about this quite a lot. I’m not really a ‘tattoo’ person, but I get the concept of having one for this. I know some people think it’s just a commercial brand, so it would be like having an Audi symbol or Nike brand permanently stuck on your skin. I don’t follow that logic. For me it’s an event brand, like the Olympics. No event, no brand. I guess it’s just a personal choice. So, maybe.

The second question is ‘what’s next?’. That one’s a bit harder to answer. Quite honestly I don’t know. I’m pretty sure I won’t do another Ironman. For me it’s a one time thing. I could never replicate that feeling I got on Sunday. Although I did all the training and did all the preparation I could, I didn’t know I would complete it. It was a step in to the Unknown. The only reason to do it again would be to get a better time, and I’m not bothered about that. It’s the feeling I wanted. Box ticked.

So I don’t know what’s next. I know I need a break and a holiday. I’m going to enjoy the afterglow as long as I can, put some weight back on and then come up with something else. I think that’s good enough for now.